The Darkness blame cocaine for demise

The Darkness' bassist Frankie Poullain has blamed cocaine for the demise of the group, saying the band fell apart because they were having "too much fun"

The Darkness' bassist Frankie Poullain has blamed cocaine for the demise of the group.

Frankie insists the 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' hitmakers - whose frontman Justin Hawkins quit in 2006 after a row with his brother and bandmate Dan - fell apart because they were having "too much fun" and everyone was "paranoid" because they were taking drugs.

He said: "We had too much fun really. No one can have that much fun for that long. Everyone was on coke and paranoid, suspicious."

Justin added: "Our career was built on the ridiculous and it fell apart in the same way."

After the group's dramatic separation, Justin ended up in rehab, drummer Ed Graham battled with alcohol - which left him with a serious illness - and Frankie turned into a recluse locking himself away in his French chateau.

However, the band are now making a comeback, supporting Lady Gaga when she performs at London's Twickenham Stadium later this year - and Justin admits that he never thought the group would ever get back together after their troubled history.

He added to the Metro newspaper: "Whenever anyone asked me, I always rejected the idea as preposterous.

"Dan and I started bumping into each other at our parents' place. Then we started writing songs together. Finally, all four of us went for a curry and I sat at the head of the table and thought, 'This is how it should be. I'm the father and these are my children.' "